After the death of his mother, Lucas, a loner who lives in a rundown home with his brother, Tom, regularly seeks solace in the nearby woods. With his only “friends” being a group of female bullies, he keeps to himself most of the time. But, after a strange encounter with an inhuman monster, Lucas begins to withdraw from others. When the two reach a tentative trust, a bizarre friendship is born, and Lucas is swept up in a series of primal adventures..

For in-depth thoughts on Slapface, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original streaming release here.

Video Quality

The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio that deftly captures the look of the picture. The movie has a reserved color palette that is faithfully saturated with key pieces of production design and lighting standing out. The transfer comes through with deep black levels that do not falter with crush or other shortcomings. Objects hold firm in the shadows and retain their shape with no aggressive banding at hand outside of a couple of fleeting moments. There is a slight loss in detail in a few of the darkest moments. Detail and clarity are nicely defined. There are some pleasing facets on display, especially in the backgrounds and textures of the costumes. There is nothing in the way of damage or digital noise in this transfer. Shudder has done a first-rate job with this release.

Audio Quality

Slapface arrives on Blu-Ray with a dynamic DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original English that brings life to the narrative. The track’s low end provides some extraordinary texture when the tension is exploding with a frightening reveal. The movie digs deep when it needs to, and environmental sounds immerse you in the space quite well. Dialogue and sound effects stay balanced throughout where nothing gets muddled in the track. Surround channels provide some spine-tingling activity with the interior tones and within nature. Music fills the room for a dynamic and notable experience. This track does everything that is asked of it. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: A pair of commentary tracks are provided in which the creatives provide some great insights into the production of the film, the themes of the narrative, the stunts in the film, the production design, and more that is worth a listen.

- Audio Commentary #1: Writer / Director Jeremiah Kipp

- Audio Commentary #2: Writer / Director Jeremiah Kipp, Actor / Producer Mike Manning, and Actor August Maturo

Cast and Director Q&A: A 22-minute collection of interviews is provided in which the cast and creative team discuss what drew them to the project, the experiences during the production, the collaborative process, the preparations that went into the film, and more.

Interview with Writer/Director Jeremiah Kipp: A 41-minute interview is provided with the filmmaker in which he discusses his inspiration for the story, the contained nature of the story, the bonding between the performers on set, and more.

Slapface Short Film: The original nine-minute short film that inspired the feature is provided.

Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

Original Trailer (1:41)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring new writing by film critic BJ Colangelo and film historian Philip Escott is provided here. These pieces give a well-rounded analysis of the film.

Final Thoughts

Slapface has some strong thematic material that it is wrestling with as it manifests grief and domestic abuse within the realm of the supernatural. The heart of the story works even if there are some shortcomings in the performances. The creature design looks a bit silly, but the mostly practical nature of the execution does elevate it above many other spooky things that we have seen emerge from the shadows. It is a bit of a rocky journey, yet it is one that is worth taking. Shudder has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a valuable array of special features. Recommended

Slapface is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shudder and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.